The health department in Hartford County, Md. has received dozens of reports of illness with symptoms that include vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. The county is working with state officials to determine if the cause of the illnesses is Norovirus, foodborne bacteria or something else.
Some of those who became ill ate at a restaurant and have submitted stool samples that are being tested. Results from those tests should be available soon, according to a health department spokesman.
Norovirus is common at this time of year. A highly contagious virus, Norovirus accounts for about half of all food posioning outbreaks. Often a sick food handler is involved, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Like other foodborne illnesses, symptoms of Norovirus include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and low-grade fever. In restaurant settings, the virus is usually transmitted when a food hander who has been sick has microscopic amounts of vomit or stool on his or her hands and touches food or a food preparation surface.
